Single poly memory cell and array
First Claim
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1. A non-volatile semiconductor device comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of substantially parallel bit lines arranged in a first direction on said substrate;
a plurality of substantially parallel virtual ground lines arranged in a first direction on said substrate, each paired with one of said bit lines to form bit line/virtual ground line pairs;
a plurality of substantially parallel word lines arranged in a second direction on said substrate substantially orthogonally to said first direction, said word lines being insulated from said bit lines and virtual ground lines;
at least one memory cell section of an array of memory cells, each comprised of a single programmable memory transistor, and one memory cell residing at the each intersection of said word lines with said bit line/virtual ground line pairs;
programmable memory transistors having a source, a drain, a gate, and a charge storage layer that has programmable memory states that produce a depletion threshold voltage of magnitude less than a magnitude of a supply voltage when the memory transistor is erased and a enhancement threshold voltage when the memory transistor is programmed, each having a first connection on a drain end to one of said bit lines and having a second connection on a source end to said virtual ground line associated therewith;
biasing circuitry for applying selected read biasing voltages to said memory cells including a reference voltage applied to said virtual ground lines of magnitude no greater than the magnitude of said supply voltage and at least equal to the magnitude of said depletion threshold voltage, and a voltage greater than said reference voltage applied to said bit lines;
and sensing circuitry for sensing a current generated at said memory cell in accordance with the programmable state of said charge storage layer of said addressable memory transistor.
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Abstract
A non-volatile memory cell array using only a single level of polysilicon and a single level of metal has programmable single transistor memory cells on a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, a well of a second conductivity type in the substrate, parallel bitlines oriented in a first direction, and reference line segments oriented in the first direction. Each reference line is paired with one of each bitline. The array also has parallel word lines oriented in a second direction to form an array of intersections with the pairs of bitline/reference line pairs, and a rewriteable single transistor memory cell at each intersection point.
250 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A non-volatile semiconductor device comprising:
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a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of substantially parallel bit lines arranged in a first direction on said substrate; a plurality of substantially parallel virtual ground lines arranged in a first direction on said substrate, each paired with one of said bit lines to form bit line/virtual ground line pairs; a plurality of substantially parallel word lines arranged in a second direction on said substrate substantially orthogonally to said first direction, said word lines being insulated from said bit lines and virtual ground lines; at least one memory cell section of an array of memory cells, each comprised of a single programmable memory transistor, and one memory cell residing at the each intersection of said word lines with said bit line/virtual ground line pairs; programmable memory transistors having a source, a drain, a gate, and a charge storage layer that has programmable memory states that produce a depletion threshold voltage of magnitude less than a magnitude of a supply voltage when the memory transistor is erased and a enhancement threshold voltage when the memory transistor is programmed, each having a first connection on a drain end to one of said bit lines and having a second connection on a source end to said virtual ground line associated therewith; biasing circuitry for applying selected read biasing voltages to said memory cells including a reference voltage applied to said virtual ground lines of magnitude no greater than the magnitude of said supply voltage and at least equal to the magnitude of said depletion threshold voltage, and a voltage greater than said reference voltage applied to said bit lines; and sensing circuitry for sensing a current generated at said memory cell in accordance with the programmable state of said charge storage layer of said addressable memory transistor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A non-volatile semiconductor device comprising:
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a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of substantially parallel bit lines arranged in a first direction on said substrate; a plurality of substantially parallel virtual ground lines arranged in a first direction on said substrate, each placed adjacent to at least one of bit lines to form an array of alternating bit lines and virtual ground lines which are individually electrically isolated; a plurality of substantially parallel word lines arranged in a second direction on said substrate substantially orthogonally to said first direction, said word lines being insulated from said bit lines and virtual ground lines; at least one memory cell section of an array of memory cells, each comprised of a single programmable memory transistor, and one memory cell residing at the each intersection of said word lines with said bit lines; programmable memory transistors having a source, a drain, a gate, and a charge storage layer that has programmable memory states that produce a depletion threshold voltage of magnitude less than a magnitude of a supply voltage when the memory transistor is erased and a enhancement threshold voltage when the memory transistor is programmed, each said memory cell having a first connection on a drain end to said bit line associated therewith and a second connection on a source end to said virtual ground line, said second connection formed to a virtual ground line placed on a first side of even numbered bit line and to a virtual ground line on an other side of odd numbered bit lines; biasing circuitry for applying selected read biasing voltages to said memory cells including a reference voltage applied to said virtual ground lines of magnitude no greater than the magnitude of said supply voltage and at least equal to the magnitude of said depletion threshold voltage, and a voltage greater than said reference voltage applied to said bit lines; and sensing circuitry for sensing a current generated at said memory cell in accordance with the programmable state of said charge storage layer of said addressable memory transistor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A semiconductor memory device comprised of:
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semiconductor substrate; an array of addressable MIS transistors arranged in rows and columns comprising a plurality of substantially parallel stripes oriented in a first direction in the surface of said substrate, said stripes comprising a dielectric region on said semiconductor substrate surface to provide means for lateral electrical isolation; a plurality of channel regions in said substrate, each placed away from and between said stripes in a self-aligned manner; a plurality of substantially parallel source and drain regions in the surface of said substrate which are perfectly self-aligned on a first edge to said strips and on another edge to said channel regions; a conductive gate layer, patterned as at least one set of a plurality of rows to form MIS gates oriented in a second direction, substantially orthogonal to said first direction, each one of said channel regions including at least one of said gates; an insulation layer over said channel regions between said gate and said channel regions; biasing circuitry for applying selected read biasing voltages to said MIS transistors; and
sensing circuitry for sensing a current generated at said MIS transistors in accordance with the state of said addressable MIS transistors. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification